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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 120 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  2. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  3. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  4. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  5. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  6. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  7. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  8. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  9. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  10. When was this ________________ built?
  11. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  12. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  13. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  14. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  15. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  16. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  17. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  18. The ________________ took off on time.
  19. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  20. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  21. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  22. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  23. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  24. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. temple — side of the head
  2. scale — size or range
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. plane — a tool
  5. scale — for weighing
  6. row — a line
  7. scale — in music
  8. fall — to drop
  9. row — to paddle
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. content — happy
  12. band — a rubber band
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. band — a music group
  15. band — a ring
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. row — a quarrel
  18. plane — an aircraft
  19. patient — calm and waiting
  20. content — the amount
  21. content — videos and posts
  22. plane — in geometry
  23. fall — to drop
  24. fall — the season

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com